NH road deaths rise compared to 2011

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — The head of New Hampshire's highway safety agency says a warm spell back in March contributed to an increase in traffic fatalities this year.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 103 traffic deaths in New Hampshire between Jan. 1 and Dec. 16. That's a 22 percent increase from the 84 who died during that same period in 2011, and Peter Thomson says the weather was a big factor.

Thomson, coordinator of the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency, told the Nashua Telegraph (http://bit.ly/TBJfaV) that warm weather in March made motorcycle riders get on the road earlier, leading to more fatalities. Altogether, there were 14 motorcycle fatalities.

In June, the state launched a campaign to look at ways to use education, enforcement and engineering to eliminate highway deaths.

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Information from: The Telegraph, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

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